Welcome to this Lesson:

Mechanical Monsters

creating a futuristic pet with Fahrenheit 451's inspiration

This lesson was created by NNWP Teacher Consultant Kim Cuevas and then presented at an AT&T-sponsored in-service class for teachers.

The intended "mentor text" to be used when teaching this on-line lesson is the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Before writing, students should listen to and discuss the writing style of this book's author, especially from chapter 1 of the book.

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Three-Sentence Overview of this Lesson:

In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury creates a futuristic world where books aren’t allowed and firemen start fires instead of putting them out. It is a world filled with ear radios, full-wall televisions, and mechanical creatures. Using the mechanical hound as a model, writers will explore how Bradbury creates the character of the hound and create their own futuristic monsters or pets. Teachers: click here to read the entire lesson plan.

6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:

This lesson focuses students on idea development; specifically, it explores how authors uniquely use characterization methods to create characters in literature. The support trait is word choice, in that part of creating great characters is choosing interesting words that really show the reader who the character is.